Fluid control devices for use in semiconductor manufacturing apparatus comprise various fluid controllers arranged in rows. The channels of fluid controllers in adjacent rows are interconnected by connecting means at specified locations. With such fluid control devices, massflow controllers and shut-off valves are connected and integrated into a device without using tubes in recent years. For example, the publication of JP-A No. 2002-89798 discloses a fluid control device comprising a plurality of lines arranged in parallel on a base plate and having respective inlets, as well as respective outlets, facing toward the same direction, each of the lines comprising a plurality of fluid controllers arranged in an upper stage and a plurality of coupling members arranged in a lower stage, the specified lines among these lines having fluid channels thereof interconnected by line interconnecting means.
FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing an example of fluid control device disclosed in the publication of JP-A No. 2002-89798. The device comprises, as arranged in parallel on a base plate 1, three bypassless lines A1, A2, A3, and three lines B1, B2, B3 having bypass channels. The bypassless lines A1, A2, A3, and the bypass-having lines B1, B2, B3 comprise a massflow controller, shut-off valve, shutoff-opening device and like fluid controllers 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 arranged in an upper stage, and coupling members 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 40 arranged in a lower stage for interconnecting the fluid controllers 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 41.
The fluid controllers of each of the bypassless lines A1 to A3 are a massflow controller 2, an inlet-side shut-off valve 3 disposed at the inlet side of the massflow controller 2 with a filter 4 interposed therebetween and an outlet-side shut-off valve 5 provided at the outlet side of the massflow controller 2. The fluid controllers of each of the bypass-having lines B1 to B3 are a massflow controller 2, an inlet-side shutoff-opening device 6 disposed at the inlet side of the massflow controller 2 with a filter 4 interposed therebetween and an outlet-side shutoff-opening device 7 disposed at the outlet side of the massflow controller 2.
The inlet-side shutoff-opening device 6 comprises a blocklike body 21, two shut-off valve actuators 22, 23 mounted on the body 21, a blocklike coupling 24 having a tubular connector and mounted on the upper side of the body 21 and a channel block 25 attached to a side portion of the body 21. The outlet-side shutoff-opening device 7 comprises a first blocklike body (not shown) disposed close to a massflow controller 2, a first shut-off valve actuator 27 mounted on the body, a second blocklike body 28 disposed on the rear side of the first blocklike body 26 adjacent thereto, two shut-off valve actuators 29, 30 mounted on the body 28, a blocklike coupling 31 having a tubular connector and mounted on the upper side of the first body 26, a channel block 32 attached to the front side of the same and a blocklike coupling 33 having a tubular connector and mounted on the upper side of the second body 28.
A T-shaped tubular coupling (not shown) for branching off a bypass channel is disposed between a blocklike coupling 14 under the filter 4 and a tubular coupling 15 for connecting the massflow controller. An inverted U-shaped bypass pipe 35 extending above the massflow controller 2 has one end joined to this T-shaped coupling 34 and the other end joined to a blockline coupling (not shown) having a tubular connector and provided for the outlet-side shutoff-opening device 7. Provided at an intermediate portion of the bypass pipe 35 is a tubular coupling 36 for dividing the pipe 35 into an inverted L-shaped portion and an I-shaped portion.
The massflow controller 2 and the couplings 11, 12, 14 are fixed to the base plate 1 with inverted U-shaped brackets 8, 9, 19. The massflow controller 2 is singly removable upward by removing the couplings 15, 17 from opposite sides thereof, and the filter 4 and the shut-off valves 3, 5 are individually similarly removable by removing screws 37 which are driven in from above.
Indicated at 40 is a single manifold block coupling for interconnecting the three bypassless lines A1 to A3. Indicated at 43 is a single manifold block coupling for interconnecting the three bypass-having lines B1 to B3. Indicated at 41 are channel closing blocks fastened to the manifold block coupling 40 with screws 37. Indicated at 42 is an inverted U-shaped bracket for attaching the manifold couplings 40, 43 to the base plate 1. The manifold block coupling 40 for the bypassless lines is connected to the manifold block coupling 43 for the bypass-having lines by a communication pipe 44, and a common outlet for these lines is provided at the terminal end of the manifold block coupling 43 for the bypass-having lines. A shut-off valve 45 having a tubular coupling 46 is provided at this location.
To interconnect the bypass-having lines B1, B2, B3, the blocklike couplings 24 each having a tubular connector and included in the inlet-side shutoff-opening device 6 are interconnected by an inverted U-shaped communication pipe 47 serving as line interconnecting means, and the second blocklike couplings 33 each having a tubular connector and included in the outlet-side shutoff-opening device 7 are interconnected by an inverted U-shaped communication pipe 48 serving as line interconnecting means. These line interconnecting means comprise L-shaped couplings L and T-shaped couplings T, and these couplings L, T and pipe members P are joined by welding (indicated at W in the drawing).
With the conventional fluid control device described above, each line has blocklike couplings arranged in the lower stage and removably fastened to the base plate, and fluid controllers arranged in the upper stage and removably mounted on the couplings in the lower stage, whereby each controller of each line is made easy to remove and mount in place. However, since the line interconnecting means comprises couplings which are interconnected by pipe members and welding, the device has the problem that the addition and modification of lines require much time and labor for disconnecting and interconnecting the lines.
An object of the present invention is to provide an integrated fluid control device wherein the means for interconnecting the channels of lines has no welded portions so that lines can be added or modified with great ease.